Star third baseman Rafael Devers pleaded with the Boston Red Sox to add more significant players to the roster during the winter, but it appears that the team ignored his advice.
The team’s personnel deficiencies were exacerbated by the brief absence of Devers, the $313 million franchise player, who missed two games due to a shoulder ailment. After that injury, Inside The Red Sox’s Patrick McAvoy described the team as Evan Longoria’s “perfect landing spot,” referring to the experienced free agent.
According to McAvoy, “veteran third baseman Evan Longoria is looking for his next opportunity and is still available in free agency.” The three-time All-Star, who played with the Tampa Bay Rays for his first ten seasons of his career, has a wealth of expertise in the American League East. The 38-year-old is a seasoned member of the clubhouse and might offer some assistance when required at third base.
Longoria has won three Gold Glove Awards, a Silver Slugger Award, and three All-Star selections. He averaged.264/.333/.471 with 342 home runs, 58 stolen bases, and 1,159 RBI in 16 big-league seasons. It appears he still has some output left in him for the proper team, as seen by his season-long slash line of.223/.295/.422 in 211 at-bats with the National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
Longoria, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, is “still weighing his options for 2024.” However, if he choose to play again, he would undoubtedly have a suitor, especially considering that Spotrac projects his salary to be under $7 million in 2024.
“…given Longoria’s willingness to accept a part-time role, the form Longoria’s flashed for the majority of the season would represent a noticeable improvement for a number of clubs at the hot corner,” MLB Trade Rumors writer Nick Deeds said. “From Longoria’s standpoint as well, it’s evident how appealing it is to come back for another season: with 1,930 career hits, he is only 70 hits shy of reaching the 2,000 hit mark.”
For the Red Sox, Longoria would probably start as Devers’ backup at third base. As replacement options, Bobby Dalbec and Pablo Reyes are currently listed on the depth chart. In six at-bats this 2024, Dalbec has yet to record a hit, while Reyes has mostly filled in at second base.
McAvoy continued, “Devers is okay right now, but the Red Sox could be in trouble if he were to miss a significant amount of time later in the season.” “An addition could make sense; Boston has Pabloy Reyes and Bobby Dalbec on the bench who could fill in at third base.”
The Red Sox may face competition from other teams to sign Longoria if he plans to play in Major League Baseball again this season. According to Deeds, the Chicago Cubs and the New York Mets might also be looking to add some veteran depth at third base.
Before the 2024 season, he said, “The Mets lost infield prospect Ronny Mauricio to an injury sustained during winter ball, and Longoria could serve as a veteran mentor and right-handed hitting complement to youngster Brett Baty at third base.” “In the meantime, the Cubs could mix and match Longoria at the hot corner with other internal options like Nick Madrigal and Miles Mastrobuoni because they lack an established third baseman.”
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